The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Scroll compressors are used in applications such as refrigeration systems, air conditioning systems, and heat pump systems to pressurize and, thus, circulate refrigerant within each system.
A scroll compressor typically includes an orbiting scroll member having an orbiting scroll vane and a non-orbiting scroll member having a non-orbiting scroll vane. As the scroll compressor operates, the orbiting scroll member orbits with respect to a non-orbiting scroll member, causing moving line contacts between flanks of the respective scroll vanes or wraps. In so doing, the orbiting scroll member and the non-orbiting scroll member cooperate to define moving, crescent-shaped pockets of vapor refrigerant. A volume of the fluid pockets decreases as the pockets move toward a center of the scroll members, thereby compressing the vapor refrigerant disposed therein from a suction pressure to a discharge pressure.
During operation, lubrication is provided to many of the moving components of the scroll compressor in an effort to reduce wear, improve performance and, in some instances, to cool one or more components. For example, lubrication in the form of oil may be provided to the orbiting scroll member and to the non-orbiting scroll member such that flanks of the orbiting scroll spiral vane and flanks of the non-orbiting scroll spiral vane are lubricated during operation. Such lubrication may be returned to a sump of the compressor and in so doing may come in contact with a motor of the compressor, thereby cooling the motor to a desired temperature.
While lubrication is typically used in a scroll compressor to improve performance and longevity, such lubrication is typically separated from vapor refrigerant located within the compressor to improve compressor performance and efficiency.